


Play With Fire

by MadnessInFandomLand



Category: One Piece
Genre: A series of unfortunate events - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Being Luffy is Suffering, Dad!Doflamingo, Death, Donquixote "Corazon" Rosinante Lives, Eventual Monkey D. Luffy/Trafalgar D. Water Law, Father-Son Relationship, Future ships will come soon, Jaded!Luffy (neutral), M/M, Mistreatment, Murder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, corazon!luffy, doffy is luffy's father here, explicit content, graphic description of abuse, slightly OOC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:54:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26388997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadnessInFandomLand/pseuds/MadnessInFandomLand
Summary: Butterfly Effect- An event where a simple turn of events can cause drastic outcomes.In which a simple decision by Corazon had led him to change his fate with Law to change completely. Doflamingo hunts them down only to stumble upon Luffy, whose life has been turned upside down through unexplainable and unexpected changes of events.(the title might change)
Relationships: Baby 5 & Monkey D. Luffy, Donquixote "Corazon" Rosinante & Trafalgar D. Water Law, Donquixote Doflamingo & Monkey D. Luffy, Monkey D. Luffy/Trafalgar D. Water Law, Portgas D. Ace & Sabo
Comments: 14
Kudos: 71





	Play With Fire

**Author's Note:**

> This is a weird prompt I came up with while daydreaming doing listening to OSTs XD anywho, this is an AU where:  
> -Garp never knew who Luffy was  
> -Storm hits the sea, causing Shanks to never make it in East Blue, meaning he never met Luffy  
> -Rosinante and Law escaped  
> -I also made Luffy somewhat of a demon here, because I headcanon Dragon having demon blood, so the only thing that he has is high pain tolerance, endurance, and regeneration.  
> -To be clear, everyone acts differently because of the changes to the canon storyline. Everyone is slightly OOC.

_The Butterfly Effect, a well-known event where one flap of its wings, will cause disastrous outcomes. One small change in the world could cause an apocalypse._

_One small event will mark several fates, leading to their dooms._

**_2 years ago, before the events._ **

_It was a dark, eerily quiet night in the peaceful village. Crickets are chirping, the wave lapping at the walls of the island, and fireflies scouring around the field. Some villagers had entered their respective rooms, retiring for the night, sleeping to gather energy for tomorrow, while others gathered around the plaza, celebrating and feasting._

_A sudden, yet swift silhouette has entered the village, its red eyes glimmering in the dark._

_It seemed to be carrying some sort of bundle, nevertheless, it trudged through the path, stopping at the plaza._

_One villager turned and gasped, confusion printed on their faces. Soon, other villagers followed his gaze, only to see the silhouette disappearing. The other's eyes widened and before they could question such phenomena, they suddenly disappeared, leaving behind an unconscious child._

_Soon, the realization was drawn upon the villager’s face as he gasped, “A demon?” Soon, the murmurs spread throughout the villagers as one of them bore his gaze at the child, filled with contempt and unease._

**_2 years later. En route to East Blue._ **

A thunder echoed throughout the vast ocean, as a massive lightning strike into an unfortunate area far away from the sailing ship. The ship consisted of the Red Pirates, who were looking for an island to chill and relax before departing for the Grand Line. However, an unexpected storm came to ruin their plans. This brought disdain to the whole pirate crew, mainly Shanks, the captain.

“Captain, it looks like we need to change our route! There is a heavy storm approaching across the east!” One of the members of Red Hair Pirates yelled from the mast, as others prepared the sail for the incoming storm.

Shanks narrowed his eyes as the sea soon got covered in heavy mist. For the past few days, the sea towards the East Blue has been bombarded with calamities. Even the few other people who can predict the weather had no idea how to explain such phenomena.

 _Weird, I thought the sea and weather around here would be calm,_ He thought, before sighing.

 _I guess I was wrong. It seems like the journey to the East Blue will come to a stop for a while._ He sighed as he moved away from the deck and went back to Benn, who is relaxing against the wall inside the kitchen and drinking rum with others.

“We will sail for South Blue instead,” Shanks announced, as he sat down between Lucky Roux and Benn Beckman. Roux merely nodded, chomping on his drumstick while Beckman sighed. He then stared at Shanks, whose eyes are focused on the distance, face filled with confusion. His eyes soon followed it into the mist, where a rampaging storm started to conquer the sea.

“What's wrong Shanks?” He asked as he stared at Shanks playing around with the half-bottle of Rum, gazing at the fluid.

“Nothing, it’s just,” Shanks answered, eyes narrowing. His hands instinctively reached out to his straw hat, clutching it. For some reason, it felt wrong on his head.

“I had a feeling something huge would happen soon.”

**_A Week Later. In Minion Island,_ **

Heavy snow in the small island rages on, filling each nook and cranny as one figure trudged swiftly across the land, avoiding any on-lookers on sight. Corazon, the former member of Donquixote Pirates, real name is Donquixote Rosinante, bit his lip as he continued to hide under the snow. Preventing his pursuers from finding him. For more luck, he activated his devil fruit. He ducked after seeing Doflamingo's followers turned right on the corner, narrowly dodging Law's hidden spot. He then sighed, relieved. He was forever grateful for his instincts to buy a rowboat.

 _Perfect timing for the snow to go heavy in this area,_ Rosinante thought, as he stealthily moved towards the treasure box where Law was hidden. He then opened the box revealing Law, wrapped around in a coat to keep him warm. Law opened his eyes, afraid before gasping, eyes brimming with tears of happiness.

"Cora-san, you're okay!" Law exclaimed, jumping to his chest, sobbing in relief. His tiny hands clutched on his coat as he snuggled closer into his warmth. During the time he was hiding in the box, he was deadly worried about Rosinante, forgetting about his slowly healing disease after eating the devil fruit by force. He flinched every time he heard footsteps, worried that he would soon hear what he truly feared for the longest time.

"Shhhhh... it's okay. I'm okay, Law. Don't worry, we will get us both out of here. The only thing we'll need to do is to be quiet, then we’re both free." Rosinante murmured, as he wrapped both of them with his devil fruit. The emotions of relief and joy were silenced outside of the sphere. He then slowly picked him up and hid him inside the coat. Then he quietly moved to where the boat was hidden. As he pulled it out and arranged it on the shore, he could hear a gunshot firing and tensed up.

 _It's Doffy, it seems that he noticed some of my footsteps._ Rosinante thought, gritting his teeth. He looked up and gasped. A familiar string slowly started to cage the island. He needs to quickly get out of this island before they would be trapped here by Doflamingo’s devil fruit. After successfully adjusting in the boat, he quickly arranged the paddle in order and started to row away from the shore.

At the distance, Rosinante could spot a blue butterfly in the distance, flapping its wings into the mist. Before he could briefly wonder how they would survive in such wild weather, he felt Law slouched against him. Panicking, he turned to look at him, only to smile softly when he saw Law’s sleeping face. He bent down to kiss his forehead, before pulling him closer, wrapping the part of his coat around him.

 _Don’t worry Law,_ Rosinante thought, eyes filled with determination. _I won’t ever let him get any children like you ever again._ He then thought of the other children, like Baby 5, and could only sigh on how far Doflamingo’s influence on them was. They were beyond saving at this point.

 _Or were they?_ Rosinante could only shake his head, holding Law tighter. He may have failed the others, but he will never fail Law. The Minion Island soon disappeared from his view, as Rosinante rowed, looking ahead. 

Law embraced Rosinante unconsciously, snuggling further into the warmth. He had never felt so comfortable for months, ever since Flevance. He had never felt so _safe._

“Mmm…” Law hummed, as Rosinante looked down, worried.

“What’s wrong Law?”

“Mmm… I love you too… Cora-san…” He mumbled, before snoring softly. Rosinante’s eyes welled up in tears before hastily wiping them away, embracing Law tighter to his chest.

_I promise you Law, every choice you make in the future, I will support you and protect you with my whole life, I swear upon it!_

Both could only embrace each other tightly as the sea and the heavy wind continued to lead them into an unknown destination. 

_Hopefully, into our new, refreshing start of life._

__________________

Frantic footsteps scampered around the snow, as many minions, plus the members of Donquixote Pirates, scattered around the area, looking for signs of the traitors, only to no avail.

“Any sign of them?” Gladius yelled, marching towards a minion who’s focusing the binoculars on the snowy area, before shaking their head out of fear.

“No sign!” They answered, before nervously turning around, feeling the tense aura of their master. Gladius could only sigh as he faced Doflamingo, whose veins are obvious from pulsating.

Doflamingo gritted his teeth as his eyes scanned around the snowy area. All he could spot were fading footsteps and an obvious brushing of the snow. _Shit, I was too late._ He should've speculated that they had an emergency boat lying all over the place. With the snow, it was easier for them to hide it. He cursed the wild weather that gave him the worst luck in the decade.

 _This damn ocean is really against me, huh? Damn it all!_ Doflamingo cursed, punching the wall beside him, veins popping out in anger. Out of all things he could've imagined, the last thing he expected was his brother suddenly stabbing his back. To add more salt to the injury, he also took Law, his potential successor, away with the Devil Fruit that could give him immortality.

"Vergo!" He yelled as the said person approached him with a blank look. "Did you find them yet?" Vergo could only shake his head, putting his fingers on his sunglasses, adjusting it.

"Unfortunately," He started, "They were already out of shore as the cage started. We were very late." Baby 5 could only stare in worry, as Doflamingo gritted his teeth in anger.

"Damn it," He muttered, as he suddenly marched towards the dock, anger motivating his urge to kill. "We are going after them! They shouldn't be too far. Let’s move and search all Blues for them!” He announced as he stepped into the boat, eyes hidden behind the shades are filled with bloodlust.

"Aye." His companions replied as they followed him to the ship, both emotions mixed with wary, arrogance, and worry.

**_Meanwhile, in East Blue, 2 days before the escape,_ **

It was quite a hectic night in the Foosha Village. With the storm incoming, everyone has gathered around the plaza, buying necessities needed during the storm, food, woods, metals, and tools for protection, etc. Despite that, it was quite peaceful and lively.

Until a certain shout from a vendor attracted everyone's attention. Curiously, they peeked around the corner only for their faces to contort in aghast and disgust as they saw a figure running away. Most began yelling, some gathered anything used as a weapon to "defend" themselves while some merely ignored the commotion, not doing anything to stop or help the running figure.

“Get out of here monster!”

“You have no place in this village!”

“Demon incarnate!”

“Die, you filthy beast!” All the villagers shrieked, as one lady threw a stone on the running figure, whose hands were filled with stolen food and necessities. The figure, mainly a human boy, yelped as his tiny head was soon bleeding on the side, wounded from the harsh impact of the stone. The vendor, who was chasing him, shrieked in anger as he threw his cane on the child, its sharp edges scratching the thin legs before they disappeared around the corner.

“Has the Gods cursed me so for taking my feast, given to this monster?” The vendor yelled, shaking their fist to the darkened sky, as the response he was given were myriads of raindrops, followed by thunder. Most of the villagers gasped and began to run towards their house, groceries in tow.

“The storm is here everyone. Please prepare for impact!” The mayor announced as everyone resumed their packing, locking their doors and the windows. In the distance, a young woman stood by herself silently, eyes focused on where the child disappeared.

“Will they be alright?” She murmured, her hands clutching the plastic of her grocery, worried. She was torn between going after the child or preparing.

“Makino, we should quickly go back to the bar and secure it!” One of her friends yelled as Makino blinked, suddenly aware of the reality.

“Oh yeah, I’m sorry,” She answered, chuckling lightly. Her friend slowly sighed before muttering,

“It’s the demon child again, huh?” Makino could only shake her head at her friend’s response. It seems like she’s the only one in the village who thought of the child differently. 

“All children are not demons, Hikari, some are just born in an unfortunate world.” She answered, as her friend could only shake her head in response.

“If you say so,” She muttered, looking at the direction Makino is facing, “You’re quite a softie when it comes to children, huh Makino?” She asked as both began to run back to the bar, preparing for an incoming storm. While Hikari was screaming at the customers, Makino couldn’t help but look back in worry. 

_I’ll be sure to remind myself to give him food when I find him once more._

__________________ 

In the corner of the alleyway, inside a huge barrel, a wounded child could only wipe his tears with his rough fists as he tried to clean his wounds with shaking hands and stolen water, then wrapping a bandage he had stolen earlier, clumsily around his head, then his leg. He then sighed, feeling the irritation of his wounds fading away. He then leaned against the wood, whimpering as the lid of the barrel trembled above him.

“The storm is here,” He murmured, closing his eyes in fear as the barrel slightly shook. “I couldn’t make it back in time…” He then curled further in the dark corner, silently sobbing while clutching his bandaged head. 

“It’s not like anyone cares anyway.” He muttered as he closed his eyes, the memories of the torture and pain he tormented flooded through his mind. The treatment gradually went worse for the past two years ever since somebody dumped him on the island. Due to the nature of the person, he has been deemed a demon child in the village. For years he’s been on the run, sometimes hiding in the barrels with food and water or anything he needed to survive.

He sometimes sneaked into the bandit's territory, familiar with the woman named Curly Dadan. She and others too deemed him a demon incarnate and did everything they could to push him off, but the child likes them. He couldn’t help but keep coming back, giving them food that he hunted only to leave immediately as a bat was thrown at him.

 _Maybe it’s because they didn’t hit me as hard._ He thought, as his lips formed into a wobbly smile. At least they have terrible accuracy as he does. It took quite a while for him to hit the tigers on the head, mainly for food rather than self-defense.

He knew the two boys that lingered around the area too. He sees them around the Gray Terminal all the time. Their names are Ace and Sabo. His life goal at the moment was to make him his friends, as he could tell from afar that both of them have inner struggles as he does. The struggle to fit in; to find a spot in society.

He tried his hardest to get closer to them, at least to talk. However, it always ended with a tree falling on him or being pushed down into a cliff. He was quite sure it was just mere annoyance they felt, not pure hatred.

 _They only pushed the smallest trees down on me, plus the cliff they always threw me on wasn’t too deep._ He thought as he closed his eyes, trying his hardest to ignore the storm and sleep. Whimpering at the stinging pain on his leg, he closed his eyes, tears flowing down on his cheeks.

 _It’ll be okay Luffy,_ he comforted himself, _it’ll be okay._

But deep down in his heart, he knew it won’t be.

__________________

Few hours past the night, it was early in the morning, the storm had gradually calmed down into a simple rain. The villagers had slowly gone out of their home, helping others who were affected by the flood. Despite the calamity that had struck the village earlier, it didn’t stop the people to help each other, especially those who are in need.

Luffy, who is inside the drenched barrel, blinked, disturbed by the water drops that were hitting his wounded part of his head. Wincing, he sat up and stretched in silence. Making too much noise is a huge risk, even if he's hidden in the corner. Some of the villagers are quite _determined_ to “exorcise” their village from a demon incarnate, hence the stones and sticks were gradually upgraded to sharp-edged rocks and sometimes bats with nails or knives carelessly thrown on him when he steals necessities. He teared up, hugging his wounded legs close to his chest. Being in the village is suicide itself.

However, he couldn’t leave. He can't swim, which is a major problem. He could steal a rowboat and sail out of here, but the chances are very low. A sea king is luring around the area of their village, which kills almost everyone who tries to get out to the sea. Not only that but for the past few days, East Blue has been attracting some intense storms to the point some villagers think that it is a curse brought upon them. Luffy shuddered, thinking of how some kid pointed at him screeching,

“He’s the reason our food is gone, mama!”

“He’s a monster!”

“THE DEVIL CHILD!”

 _I’m not a monster!_ Luffy screams internally, clutching his head and covering his ears. He kept shaking his head as if trying to remove all the taunts, jeers, and curses in his mind.

 _I’m not- I’m not a monster,_ Luffy repeated, whimpering softly as tears flooded on his cheeks once more. _I’m not a monster, I’m not a monster._

Wiping his tears away, he slowly stood up, opening the lid to take a slight peek. Relieved that no people were lingering on the alleyway, he stood up, sneaking out of the lid with caution. With his necessities hidden in his pocket, he was ready to venture out. Finding a spot to escape, he was about to climb when a soft voice whispered,

“Oh, there you are.”

Startled, Luffy turned around and stared at the figure with terror. Despite the darkness, he can still quite see the description of the person. An adult woman with dark greenish hair, eyes full of kindness, and softness. Scared that this might be a trick, he scrambled up.

“No, please don’t leave!” The woman exclaimed, as she cautiously moved closer to the shivering boy. “It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.”

Luffy shakes his head, shuddering. “E-Everyone keeps saying that before they throw rocks at m-me.” He sobbed, moving backward as the woman moved closer.

“I promise I wouldn’t. Here,” She started, putting her hands in her pocket. Luffy flinched when she pulled something out. On the palm of her hand, there is something wrapped with paper that smelled good.

“I-Is that poison?” Luffy asked before the woman’s eyes stared at him with worry.

“No sweetie, it’s a sandwich.” She answered, as she placed the sandwich down on the barrel beside Luffy and walked backward, putting a slight distance on both of them. He cautiously moved forward, swiftly grabbing the sandwich, and hugged it close to his chest. 

He stared at the woman, confused. “Go on,” She encouraged, smiling. For some reason, her smile didn’t terrify him. He felt comfortable and warm. Staring at her once more, he unfolded the paper and took a tiny bite. His taste buds were soon flooded with fresh lettuce, mayo, tomato, and his favorite food, meat. Mainly beef. Tears slowly gathered in his eyes as he took a huge bite, whimpering at the delicious taste.

“How is it?” She asked, eyes softening at the sight of Luffy sobbing. She clenched her hands, trying her hardest not to glomp the child, afraid that he would be terrified and ran away once more.

“I-It’s so good,” Luffy sobbed, his voice muffled by the chewing. “I-I never had meat for y-years!” His tears soon continued, as he chewed more.

She placed more sandwiches on the barrel, smiling as he grabbed them with enthusiasm. “What’s your name sweetie?”

“L-Luffy..”

“That’s such a cute name, Luffy. My name is Makino.” She responded, smiling. Her smile widened as Luffy approached her slowly, his eyes looking down.

“T-Thank you for the food.” He mumbled, bowing. She giggled, before kneeling to his height.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t fast enough to approach you, Luffy.” She murmured. He looked up, confused.

“What do you mean, Makino-san?” He asked, tilting his head before wincing. Makino’s eyes widened as her hand reached out to inspect the bandage. Luffy flinched at the approaching hand, before calming, leaning towards her touch. She then gasped when she saw blood leaking from both bandages. Eyes filled with determination, she scooped Luffy to her arms, minding his bleeding wounds. Luffy squeaked, wrapping his arms around her neck, clinging.

“Come with me, I’ll treat your wounds properly,” Makino announced, as they were about to march towards the street, Luffy’s grip tightened. 

“No, wait!” Luffy exclaimed, making Makino pause her steps. “T-They’ll hurt you too because you’re with me.”

“Don’t worry,” She said, smiling down at him. “Most of the villagers are at the community center for supply gathering as of this hour. The area around my bar wouldn’t have many people until later this afternoon.” Luffy could only stare at her with concern, clutching her shirt.

“I-I just don’t want you to get hurt because of me.” He murmured, sobbing. Makino’s heart clenched as her arms tightened around Luffy as if her arms were the strongest shield from the cruel world. She then looked up, eyes narrowing at the cloudy sky.

 _It seems there’s another storm coming in later,_ she thought, as she hid Luffy with the cloth around her shoulders, swiftly marching onto her bar. _I should hurry up before they come back._

With those thoughts, she marched on, shoulders and arms tense, wrapped around Luffy as if protecting him from the dangers of the village.

________________ 

She entered the empty bar before trudging towards the room, closing and locking it behind her. Settling Luffy on the bed, she started shuffling in her closet, pulling out a health kit. She then kneeled in front of him, pulling out a disinfectant, cotton, and bandage. Pouring droplets of disinfectant on the cotton, she then faced Luffy, pulling the bandages off him with care.

“This might hurt a little bit, hold on to the pillows if so.” She warned, before dabbing his wounded head, mindful of his reactions. Luffy winced, clenching the sheets, before steeling himself. The more Makino cleans the wound with the drenched cotton, the more Luffy loosens up and sighed.

 _With these wounds, a child around his age would sob wildly due to how painful it would be,_ Makino noted, brows furrowed in worry as she wrapped the clean wounds with a new bandage. _Luffy, however, merely tensed up and sighed. His pain tolerance only tells me how often this torture occurred._

She then pulled away, smiling as Luffy’s eyes traced at his newly bandaged leg, then patted his head in wonder.

“T-Thank you Makino-san!” Luffy exclaimed, grinning. Makino’s heart melted seeing the grin. _Such a grin can rival the sun._

“Do you want to stay here for a while, Luffy? I’ll prepare you dinner.” She suggested as she put the kit away. Luffy shook his head, eyes glistened in sadness.

“I’m sorry Makino-san, I can’t stay longer, I know that they’ll come back soon. I don’t want to burden you.” He answered. She gasped before placing her hands on his shoulders, slightly clenching them.

“You are never a burden to me Luffy, _never.”_ She asserted, her grasp tightened every emphasized word. Her heart sank as he only stared at her with a blank look.

“It’s okay, Makino-san,” Luffy murmured, his smile filled with bitterness. “I’m used to it.” 

Makino couldn’t help but sob lightly. Such bitterness and resignation poured out of the child, his aura was surrounded by misery and hidden anger.

 _No child should ever have this feeling, at such an age nonetheless!_ She thought, before pulling Luffy in a protective hug. Both clung onto each other, the thunder muffled their sobbing.

“Are you sure you want to be dropped off here?” Makino asked, clutching her umbrella in worry as she gazed at the forest. Luffy grinned in response, nodding.

“Un! I know someone who lives up there, they don’t treat me as bad as others,” Luffy answered, before waving at her. “Thank you for everything, Makino-san! I’ll see you again soon!” With those words, he ran into the forest. Makino smiles, the wind flows through her, watching as Luffy’s figure disappears from her eyes.

 _I hope to see you again, Luffy._ With those promised thoughts, she trudged back to the village, a smile etched on her face.

___________________

As Makino stepped foot in the village, she looked up to see Hikari running to her, panic-stricken. She stopped in front of her, panting. The rain soon poured down rapidly, drenching both of them.

“What’s wrong, Hikari?” Makino asked, patting Hikari’s back lightly. She then stared at her, trembling.

“It’s bad, Makino. Everyone in the City Hall is going insane!” She yelled, grabbing her hand as they both ran across the street, mindful of the forming puddles as the rain grew harsher.

“What’s happening in the City Hall?” Makino yelled as the City Hall can be seen in the distance, amidst the fog. When she squinted, she could see a lot of people gathering, screaming about something.

“It’s about that demon child you talked about yesterday,” Hikari answered, muffled by the rain. “They’re planning to kill him today!”

“What?!” Makino yelled as they walked closer to their destination, the screaming growing louder. As they stepped inside the hall, she could see the mayor, known as Woodslap, standing at the table while others were shaking their fist at him.

“The cause of the calamity for the past few days is that cursed child, Mayor!” One of the villagers yelled as the thunder struck near them. “We should sacrifice him to the Gods so we can have our village back to normal!"

Everyone roared in agreement as Woodslap solemnly nodded. “While I agree that this _devil child_ has to be disposed of, however, why would you suggest a sacrifice?” He asked.

“Mayor, don’t you get it?” One of the villagers asked. “The cause of this huge famine in our village is because that child is there, cursing our existence!”

“This calamity for the past few days has been that child’s doing! He must have used dark magic to destroy our crops with this,” One woman screeched, hands waving as if to gesture the storm outside, “savagery!”

“Then it is decided, let’s kill this BEAST!” Woodslap declared as everyone was given torches and weapons provided by the officers. All of them roared in response, agreeing with one another.

“What are you doing? He’s _just a child!_ ” Makino yelled, gathering attention from the mayor and others. Some look annoyed by her exclamation, while others, who know her more, could only give her sympathizing looks.

“A child or not, such a demon brought devastation upon us all. He must be exterminated.” Woodslap answered, his face illuminated by the torch. 

“But he has done nothing wrong to all of you, if anything, you were the ones who tormented his entire childhood. Injuring and torturing him every single day!” Makino exclaimed, her hands were held back by Hikari, whose stance is protective, ensuring to push any attackers off her best friend.

“Mayor, look at this,” A woman in the crowd screeched, pointing at her, “The demon has charmed Makino, she’s possessed!”

Woodslap could only gaze at Makino in concern, before sighing. “Men, tie them up. We shouldn’t let the possessed escape this hall.” He announced, as two bulky men, taller than Makino and Hikari, grabbed their hands, tying them up, and dragged them away, ignoring their screams.

Woodslap then saw the silhouette of two small figures sneaking in the hall and yelled, “Stop right there! Whoever you two are. Come out of the shadows.” Two silhouettes froze and then stepped forward. 

It was Ace and Sabo, both of them are fidgeting with their pipes. Both looked quite hesitant, but the black-haired one was torn between wary and fierce.

“What do you want, boys? Are you going to defend that demon incarnate with all your might?” The mayor asked, eyes narrowing. He then felt satisfied when both of them shook their heads in response. “Then what seems to be the problem?”

Ace fidgeted before muttering, “It’s just,” He started, looking at the window in an indifferent stare, “I know where he is at the moment.” There were a few moments of silence before the hall was filled with roars of questions and flames ignited.

___________________

Luffy hummed as he ran into the forest, back into the hideout. By the time he arrived, he was drenched by the rain, yet it didn’t deter his smile. Chewing on his sandwich, he took a peek inside the hideout, only to be surprised when he discovered that it was empty.

 _Maybe they’re out hunting for food?_ Luffy wondered, before exploring inside. The hideout has a musky smell, mainly from the rain. He never really got a chance to explore, due to being chased out by the bandits. The only thing he knows about the hideout is Dadan, Sabo, and Ace. 

After exploring, he ventured outside, prepared for another hunting until his ears caught multiple voices. Turning around, he squinted. Amidst the fog, he can see several orange-like glows, with roaring voices. Realizing it was the villagers, he soon trudged towards the woods.

“There he is!” 

“After him!” With those words, they sprinted towards the running child, eyes blazed in determination.

_______________

Ace ran into the other side of the forest, with Sabo in tow. After leading them to the bandit’s hideout, they soon ran away, wanting to see the event from above. Both of their hearts sank every step they took earlier as their destination to Luffy’s whereabouts were getting closer. He soon shook his head and turned his stare on Sabo’s back. While Sabo looked over the cliff with furrowed eyebrows, eyes filled with doubt, Ace could only scoff and looked away, feeling indifferent. He then clutched his heart, which seemed to beat faster than ever.

Below the cliff, they could see Luffy running away, one of the villagers is arm’s length away from him. Luffy’s pace slowed gradually due to his wounds bleeding once more, with additional ones on his back.

“Hey, Ace,” Sabo muttered, as he hummed in response, “Do you think we did the right thing?” He finished, gazing at Ace with uneasy eyes. He knew who Luffy was, the first impression described by him. 

_A devil child,_ He mused, eyes narrowed as he stared at the sobbing sky. It seemed to cry for him, the devil incarnate, _or was he?_

Before he could ponder more with his thoughts, Ace scoffed and turned his stare to the sky above them, raindrops hitting their faces. “He is a devil’s child after all, as the villagers say.”

“I see,” Sabo responded, tone dull as if his answer was not satisfying. He then looked away when one of the villagers grabbed an unconscious Luffy by his shirt, lifting him. Not being able to handle the view of the child being lifted for punishment, he moved away, swiftly leaving to the hideout, with Ace, confused by his behavior, following.

 _We did the right thing, right? Was the cost of our “heroism” for the good?_ Sabo thought as his heart palpitated, mainly for different reasons other than the lack of oxygen. He then stopped, eyes focused on the sky once more, myriads of raindrops pattering on his face, that is sunken in a familiar emotion.

_But then, why did I feel so guilty?_

Looking back at Ace’s clenched look on his face, maybe he wasn’t the only one who’s feeling the emotion.

______________________

Luffy’s eyes trembled as he slowly opened them, the view around him was blurry. Despite that, he could tell that it was night. The darkness of the sky is evident upon him. As he blinked, gaining more sense to his surroundings, he soon noticed that he was immobile. Wiggling his hands, he then realized he was tightly bound with a rope. Blinking more, his vision cleared. The first thing he saw was torches, lined up in a specific row, and several faces of the villagers, all having mixed emotions. Most are indifferent, some are pissed while the rest are looking away.

A raindrop that splattered on his face broke him out of his thoughts as he started to struggle. 

“Where am I?!” Luffy questioned, his eyes soon focused on the blank face of the mayor. “Let me go!”

“Are you sure this is even the right weather for this, Mayor?” One of the villagers asked as they looked up to the sky. The sky has a mixture of the dark, night sky, and the redness of clouds. 

“If this is how we appease this storm, then we’re doing it,” Woodslap muttered, as he faced the crowd. “We have gathered here today to exorcise the evil in this village if it means to appease the storm in East Blue. All in this village are in agreement, as it seems.”

“Exorcise, what do you mean?” Luffy asked, tears gathering in his eyes as he struggled on his bounds more. The more he struggled, then it seemed to tighten, however. 

“Silence, devil!” Woodslap hollered, waving his torch in his direction, eyes steeled in anger. “You are the damn reason why our town is in crisis, these famines, these panics, tears being shed, and this god awful storm that rages in this sea!” With those words, the villagers hollered, their hands shaking the air as the lightning struck. 

“Begone, devil child!” One of them yelled as he threw a rock onto his face. Luffy whimpered as it smacked against his cheek, causing it to lightly bleed. Woodslap soon waved his hand, causing the crowd to gradually silent.

“Now, to conclude this as fast as possible, you may come forward, executioner,” Woodslap announced, as the crowd parted, revealing a man with a torch on his hands. Looking below only to realize that the woods were drenched inflammable liquid, he began to struggle more, wailing.

___________________

Curly Dadan and her family lingered in the forest, her orange hair contrasted the fiery torches beyond her. She could only scoff as she gazed at the played out scene ahead. She then pulled out a cigarette. On a normal day, she could inhale 3 or more, but today was not a fitting day. With a slight inhalation, she then pulled out a small wooden stick in her matchbox. With a flick of her wrist, the dark tip of the wooden stick ignited, its flames are more comforting than the torches at the execution site. Lighting the tip quickly before the rain diminishes it, she inhales the end of her cigarette. Lightly cupping her hands around it, her eyes narrowed at the scene of the executioner, who is slowly trudging towards the child.

Dadan narrowed her eyes. The child seemed familiar to her. All she heard of him was from Dogra, a member of her family, commenting on how he would leave some food for them. Her first impression was a pest, hence her throwing stuff at it, but the more she stared at the child, he looked quite innocent. Scarred, even. Her eyes then soon focused on the torch the executioner was holding.

The fire was fiercer, unforgiving. It brightens up every patter of the raindrop, refusing to give in. Seeing the child’s mixture of aghast and desperation as the executioner gets closer to the stake, she soon concluded that both don’t blend very well.

“Poor kid,” One of her companions, Magra, commented. His eyes soon looked up at the sky, gazing at the mixture of red and black. 

The colors are fitting for such hellish scenes. The ferocity of the villagers, mixed with the devilish tone of the fire contrasts the storm clouds above. But the more Dadra compares them, however, it seems the clouds took more on a somber mood as if it’s crying for someone. He then turned around to Dana and asked,

“Dadan, are you sure you want to move away right now? It is quite risky due to the storm.” 

All the members of the family are quite prepared for the departure. While it may be expected, they would follow whatever Dadan would decide.

Dadan followed his gaze and exhaled, the smoke blended with the melancholic atmosphere of the rain. Her throat was filled with a mixture of burning and a dizzying sensation, nicotine filling her mind. She then sighed, muttering, “The sooner we get out of here, the better.”

Turning around, she trudged towards the shore, where a small ship was lingering on the deck. “You guys can keep watching, I’m going ahead on the boat. I need to check up on those brats anyway.” She then reminded herself to call Garp soon, notifying him of a sudden departure.

Magra nodded, “You’re not going to watch?” Dadan turned, half of her face shadowed as she took a drag. Exhaling the smoke once more, she muttered,

“I rather not witness how truly fucked up this world is.”

___________________

Luffy continued to struggle against the rope, screaming as the flaming torch got closer. Most of the villagers wore an indifferent expression, though their eyes are filled with anger. Some are shrieking for the executioner to hurry up. With those words, the rain poured harder.

The fires flared more as if trying to fight the droplets that had fallen against them. Time slows down as the executioner stopped below him. He stared at Luffy with a blank look, before muttering,

“Begone, demon. May you not charm us by your wicked spell any longer.”

With those words, he burned the spiky wood in front of him, immediately spreading the fire from below to above in a gradual pattern. It then rises, flaring through the rest of the stake before roasting his left foot. 

Feeling an agonizing sensation on his toes, Luffy shrieked in agony, yelling, “NO, STOP PLEASE!” His eyes wildly went in any direction, from the cheering villagers to the blood-red tone of the sky, to the familiar figure on the very far end of the area.

“Makino-san...” Luffy muttered, his eyes widened as his eyes focused on the woman beyond the crowd. Feeling his left feet gone numb from the burn, he could only choked out a name,

“MAKINO-SAN! HELP ME! PLEASE!” The figure seemed to pause, as if contemplating her decisions, before she ran away, not looking back.

“This demon is charming Makino again, why can’t the fire go up faster?” Someone yelled, as they grabbed the torch from their side and threw it to the direction Luffy’s in. Through the smoke and his tears, he could only see the retreating figure fading away, before he closed it, consumed by severe pain and grief. The flames now consumed all of his legs, flesh slowly burning to a crisp.

_However, the burning was gradually slowed due to unknown reasons._

One of the villagers seemed to notice that. At first, he thought it was the rain that slowed the process. However, when he squinted, it seemed the burning flesh was…repairing itself?

He then shook their head, concluding that it is some hallucination the demon has lured upon them, before throwing the torch to the direction of the stake.

________________

_It hurts. It hurts..._

Luffy lets out a choked moan as the fire consumed his upper torso, nearly scorching his heart and lungs. He then lets out an agonizing scream as the smoke continues to burn his eyes and lungs. When he forcefully closed his eyes, his mind gradually reminisced all the times he was tormented and tortured in the village. All the pain and suffering he felt for years.

Then Makino, the only kind stranger that helped him through his pain, fed him his favorite meal. 

Not only that, but she also treated his wounds. He treated him as if he’s _human._

It truly made him the happiest kid of his entire life, despite those moments merely lasting for a few hours or so. 

Now with a vision of her running away from his desperate calls, his burning heart sank even more.

 _You treated me as if I was normal, Makino-san. As if I’m an actual human. But in the end,_ He thought, as the memory of seeing her retreating figure burned through his mind. _She's just like them._

“You!” Luffy howled, as the fire soon reached his head, “ARE JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!” With those words, the fire grew stronger, enraged, engulfing his entire appearance as the villagers hollered, cheering for the death of the demon.

From beyond the shore, the rain stopped. However, the thunder and lightning remained.

 _I never wanted to be alone,_ Luffy thought to himself, as his head tilted down, his mind clouded with feelings of rage. _I always hated being alone. For years I fought all on my own. To hunt, to feed me, to survive. Every day in this cursed village, it was a mere suicide to even step outside of the human world._

 _I was always told I brought a curse upon this land, this sea,_ He added, head tilting up, eyes blank. It didn’t blink as the lightning flashed through his eyes. _I always refused to believe it, I was merely a human who wanted to fit in, like them._

_In the end, they turned me in. They were also just like them. Bastards._

_I won’t forgive them;_ **_I won’t forgive all of them._ **

Luffy closed his eyes once more, feeling an unknown substance taking over his own body, rendering him vegetative.

_They were afraid of me, the devil’s child. In the end, I’m always alone, and I am never a simple human being._

_If becoming one of what they feared will be my key to survival, then,_

He then opened his eyes, the colors of his irises matched the antagonizing flames surrounding.

**_I will be their worst nightmare._ **

With those thoughts, the fire grew and grew, until it fulminated throughout the area, instantly burning the villagers in the front row.

“What’s happening?” Woodslap screamed as the stake broke and fell, releasing Luffy into the sharp branches below him. Despite one digging through his skin, he slowly stood up, his red eyes blank as he stared into the Mayor.

**_I will kill them all._ **

With those thoughts, he tilted his head, causing the mayor to detonate, causing others to scream.

**_I will make them suffer._ **

He then trudged leisurely, his bleeding, yet healing legs steadily moved forward, as his eyes turned to one villager to another, detonating them.

**_I will be the Death they feared._ **

One by one, the houses burst apart, just like the running and screaming villagers. The village was soon covered in raging flames. The lightning kept raging as if it’s encouraging the awakening of the devil below.

_________________ 

Doflamingo looked up, humming as the harsh raindrops had soon calmed. With a tilt of his head, he then adjusted the lens on his binoculars, focusing on the moonless, vast ocean. The lightning struck, illuminating it, giving him more assistance, but to no avail.

 _They're not here either._ Doflamingo thought, frowning. _Looks like Rosi prepared way more than I initially thought. He had probably gone further than us by now._ Putting his binoculars back in his pocket, he turned around, scoffing. _As if they could survive this crazy storm that has been raging this sea, anyways._

Opening the door, he was greeted with Baby 5, who tackled him. He opened his arms, accepting her embrace before carrying her. “What’s wrong?” He asked, seeing her pouting.

“Trebol-san is being mean again.” Baby 5 muttered, pouting. Doflamingo clicked his tongue before merely staring at Trebol, deadpanning, “Don’t.”

Trebol only cackled in response, before slithering away to his room. Doflamingo rolled his eyes before putting her down on the couch, giving her candy corn that he kept on his pocket. He then turned to Vergo, asking, “Any sightings.”

“No, none so far.” Was the blunt response he received as Doflamingo sighed, putting his hand on his face. Before he could utter a word, his eyes caught a flare on the window. Walking towards it, he pulled out his binocular once more and focused. 

“What is it, Doflamingo?” Gladius asked as he entered the room. 

“Hmm, it seems that there’s a village burning nearby.” He answered, sparking everyone’s interest. Doflamingo then grinned, licking his lips. “I do wonder if Rosi is nearby. Let’s go there and check it out, shall we?”

“Yes, young master,” all of them answered, as Vergo twisted the helm to the island’s direction.

________________

As soon as they went down to the shore, they were immediately greeted with the scent of burnt, decayed flesh. Baby 5 turned away, puking at Trebol’s coat, much to his dismay. With a nudge of his head, Doflamingo steadily walked towards the direction of the village, with the others following.

He couldn’t help but whistle as he scanned the area around him. All he could see were burning houses, trees, and corpses lying on the ground, mouth agape. In the distance, he can still hear the villagers screaming in pain, begging for mercy. He then approached the corpse, smirking.

 _Looks like they were severely burnt while they were screaming,_ Doflamingo mused, as his foot kicked the crisped hand lightly, lips pursing as the hand was torn apart by a slight touch of the tip of his shoe. _Whoever did this, they did quite a morbid job._

A slight surge of fire caught his eyes, as he looked up and squinted. His eyes soon focused on a child. From the looks of it, their clothes were torn, nearly burnt to crisp. Their skin was quite mangled, some burnt scars on the legs and arms, though the more obvious one was on his left cheek. They then turned around, in his direction. His eyes widened. Their eyes, huge, yet dull, blank, as if life was forcefully taken from their body, and only the living shell had remained. It is also a contrast to the surrounding fire. 

_Red and vicious_.

As their eyes focused on him, the tree beside him suddenly burst up in flames. Trebol shrieked, but Doflamingo ignored it, eyes entranced on the scarlet-like void in front of him.

“Monster!” One of the villagers yelled as the child tore off his gaze, only to burn the villager, tilting his head on their screams. The child soon stumbled away, disappearing into the flames. 

Curiosity got into Doflamingo. _A child is deemed a monster by society?_ He grinned. _Looks like I don’t need to find them after all._ Judging by the storm earlier, he thought that there was a slight chance Rosinante and Law would’ve survived, so searching for them would’ve been a waste of time.

 _This child could be a perfect fit for a replacement, a perfect Corazon,_ He thought, whistling as he grinned, opening his arms, gesturing the damaged area.

“Well, well, well...” He announced, cackling. “Looks like we don’t need to find Rosi and Law any longer, Trebol.”

“What do you mean?” Trebol asked, still petrified by the stunt the child pulled earlier. Doflamingo grinned, opening his arms as if he’s gesturing at the calamity before him.

“I think he will be perfect for my family.” He responded, before following the child into the flames, chuckling.

Trebol and others could only stare, eyes widened by the destruction upon them.

______________________

 _It hurts,_ Luffy thought, as his left eye bled from the flame. He looked around, trying to find the tall man he saw earlier, only to see corpses and flames. He continued to saunter ahead, head tilting as the flames grew stronger around him.

_It hurts..._

His feet stopped at the sight of the burning bar. The sign was falling, its edges burnt to crisp. The roof gave in, crashing the chairs and tables below it.

_That bar, it belongs to..._

His eyes widened in recognition before his legs gave in, falling onto the hard ground. He curled himself, clutching his healing wounds.

 _What is this...?_ He asked, as his eyes slowly turned to its normal color. 

_Why does it hurt so much?_

He then sobbed softly, curling himself, even more, clutching his scarred face. 

_It hurts so much..._

_________________

Doflamingo’s eyes narrowed as he stopped at a sight of a broken, burning stake, followed by the crisped corpses. Judging by the looks of it, it looks like they were performing an execution. He wasn’t dumb. Seeing the condition of the child and how he mercilessly killed the villagers and then burned the entire village, it was obvious that he was the one that was about to be executed. 

He snarled, as he kicked the melting hand, tearing it apart from the corpse. This dreadfully reminded him of his past. Especially how he handled it afterward.

 _What the child did was he doomed the entire village, who doomed him first. What a fitting end for a grim fairy tale._ He merely thought, before sauntering ahead. Now determined to find the child more than ever.

Passing through the flame, Doflamingo soon found him lying down in front of the burning building. He assumed it’s either a restaurant or a bar. He saw the boy sobbing silently. His eyebrows furrowed as he slowly approached him and knelt. Upon closer look at Luffy, his face was scattered with small burn scars, yet the most obvious one was on his left cheek. Before he knew it, his hands moved to remove the dried blood on his cheeks. Luffy’s sob ceased, tensing at the touch. His huge, teary eyes looked up to the huge man wearing a pink feathery coat. His senses are screaming at him to get away from this man, but all he can do is just lay there. Locking eyes with him.

“Child, were you the one who caused such a disaster upon this village?” Doflamingo questioned, as Luffy turned his eyes at his surroundings before humming in response, sobbing.

“Why? What’s the purpose of creating such travesty?” He asked, curiously. He knew that the villagers would execute him for something that he had done wrong, or false accusations. Either way, it made him quite livid.

Luffy could only stare, his eyes turned into hidden anger, which slightly reminded Doflamingo of his childhood. The agony, fear, and frustration flashed through his mind as his brows furrowed.

“Everyone accused me of being the devil’s child throughout my life in this village,” He answered, not noticing Doflamingo’s furrowed eyebrows and pulsating veins, his voice stuttering from his sobs.

“Today, they decided to kill me by burning me alive as if it would calm the seas.” He muttered, wiping his tears with his arms, wincing. Doflamingo didn’t say anything but merely picked him up, mindful of his injuries and his burnt legs. Luffy squealed more surprise than hurt, before wrapping his arms around his neck, clutching his suit. With one hand, he briefly removed his feathered coat then wrapped it around him. Satisfied, he then started to walk away from the flame, clutching him firmly, but not too tightly to irritate the boy's wounds.

“Did no one ever try to save you?” He asked, one of his hands moved to wipe more blood off him. Luffy’s tears ran down his cheek once more, shaking his head. The thumb soon wiped his tears away, minding the wounds.

“No one.” He murmured, crying softly on his coat. “I was alone throughout my life. I tried befriending Ace and Sabo, but they only pushed me off, even turning me in to be executed.”

Doflamingo’s eyes twitched. Whoever those brats are, he wondered what they would look like choking on his strings. _So they were the instigators to this disaster, huh._ He thought, scoffing. Flames grew weaker as he walked farther away.

“And then there’s Makino,” Luffy continued, stuttering due to his hiccups, “She was the only one who was so kind to me, treated me as if I was human, even if that only lasted for a few hours, she made me feel so special.” 

Doflamingo paused. The way this child talks about this person in the past tense, he can safely assume she’s either passed away in the flames. “What happened to her?” He asked. He then started to regret the question when Luffy sobbed harder.

“S-She ran away when I called her,” He wailed, clutching his coat tightly, “She ran away when I was burning alive on that stake!” Doflamingo then paused in his steps, his hands clenching to a fist.

This is surely reminding him of his childhood. His family isolated and outcast, cursing them all and his father, which led him to how he is right now. He then gritted his teeth. They may have a different situation of suffering, but there’s no doubt he can see the parallelism between them. 

For some reason, what truly angered him more was the way a child was treated. He frowns, shaking his head. He must not show weakness, yet he couldn’t stop the unfamiliar feeling embedding through his veins.

 _No child must suffer the way I had,_ Doflamingo thought, gritting his teeth. _Not on my watch._

“Child,” He started, gently tilting his head so they could face each other. With his thumb, he continued to wipe the mixture of blood and tears away. “What is your name?” Doflamingo asked.

He blinked, his sobs gradually stopping, before answering, “Luffy.”

Doflamingo grinned, hugging him close to his chest. “Come with me,” He announced, as he softly ruffled his head, “With you in my family, I will protect you, ensuring that no one will treat you with such disrespect anymore.” He then leaned closer to his ear, whispering,

“You won’t be alone anymore.”

Luffy’s eyes widened, gazing up to his eyes. “Really? I could have... A family?” His supposed blank eyes are now glistening with life and unshed tears.

Doflamingo nodded, patting his head. “A family that you truly deserve.” 

Luffy’s eyes teared up once more, making Doflamingo slightly panic. Before he could ponder on what he said wrong, he was suddenly wrapped in a tight hug.

“Thank you, sir.” Luffy cried out. Doflamingo smiled, surprising himself. He hasn’t smiled for a while; the last time he did was from Rosinante’s clumsiness.

“You may call me Doflamingo, Luffy.” He murmured. His smile grew as he heard a murmur of “Doffy” before continuing to trudge back to the shore. Both figures continued to stride away from the village, leaving it forgotten and burnt to crisp.

_You will fit very well in my family, my dear Loof._

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :D I update very slowly (depending on the mood) so the upcoming date would vary.


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